Zonta Club of Midland members gathered at their January meeting to pack 200 Clean Birth Kits in partnership with the Birthing Kit Foundation of Australia (BKFA). Birthing Kits are an internationally accepted intervention to support a clean birth. Each item in the BKFA Birthing Kit works to reduce infections at key high-risk moments of care during labor, birth and immediately post-birth for the mother, newborn and birth attendant. Each kit includes plastic sheeting, gloves, cord ties, gauze, soap and a sterile blade.

BKFA has supplied, 2.8 million Clean Birth Kits to women in need. Kits are given to mothers through community outreach programs, supplied to health facilities for use by doctors, midwives and nurses or distributed to traditional birthing attendants. They are designed to support hygienic practices and environments during childbirth in under-resourced settings. Kits are distributed throughout Asia, Africa, The Pacific and The Caribbean.

“I participated in a birthing kit packing event at the Zonta International convention in Australia last June and new that this would be a great event to bring back to our club in Midland,” said Krista Blaser, Zonta Club of Midland Vice President. “By working together, we have impacted the lives of 200 mothers and their babies.”
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Prior to the meeting members also enjoyed beautiful music provided by members Mara Stewart and Megan Carlsen!

In May the Zonta Club of Midland awarded service grants to ten area non-profits totaling $11,400 to contribute towards helping women and children throughout the Midland area. The organizations receiving these grants are Midland County Drug Court, Habitat for Humanity, Self Love Beauty, American Legion Auxiliary Post 165, The Legacy Center, Life Clinic Community Resource Center, Helping Hands Dental Clinic, Young Lives, Family and Children's Services, and Community Mental Health Services for Central Michigan. Click here for more information on the individual grants.

These service grants are made possible by the annual Zonta Homewalk, Funds raised by the Homewalk support scholarships for women, local service grants and international service projects through the Zonta Foundation for Women. Funds raised through the 2019 Zonta Homewalk funded ten service grants of $1,140 each and six scholarships of $2,500 each.

The Status of Women in Service Committee of the Zonta Club of Midland has selected nine area organizations to receive service grants:  YWCA Great Lakes Bay Region, West Midland Family Center, The Arc of Midland, Home To Stay- Housing Assistance Center, Midland Community Former Offender Advocacy and Rehabilitation (MCFOAR), Midland County Habitat for Humanity, Family & Children’s Services of Mid-Michigan, Community Mental Health of Central Michigan, Michigan Abolitionist Project Mid Michigan and Caregiving Network, Inc.

The $9,000 in service grants will contribute towards helping local women and girls with a variety of needs. These funds will be used to support many programs including: helping young women will take advantage of summer break learning events at leadership, diversity, or academically driven conferences; a 13 week workshop for a new mindset for participants living in poverty; helping with rent to keep people in their home or to help relocate them out of homelessness; and providing supplies including personal hygiene products, training materials and construction supplies.

Zonta Club of Midland is offering a $500 local scholarship for the Jane M. Klausman Women in Business Scholarship.  Women make up nearly 50 percent of the global workforce; however, gender equality is not yet a reality in senior management and corporate boardrooms around the world.  To encourage more women to pursue education and careers in business, Zonta International established the Jane M. Klausman Women in Business Scholarship.   Women of any age, pursuing an accredited business or business-related program who demonstrate outstanding potential in the field, are eligible and encouraged to apply.  The Midland winner will be referred to the District and eligible for a $2000 scholarship, and the District winner will be referred to the international scholarship and be eligible for an additional $8000 scholarship.  The application materials must be submitted to [email protected] by May 1. ​

Zonta Club of Midland is offering a $500 local scholarship for the Young Women in Public Affairs scholarship.  The Award recognizes young women, ages 16-19, who demonstrate superior leadership skills and a commitment to public service and civic causes, and encourages them to continue their participation in public and political life.  The Midland winner will be referred to the District and eligible for a $1500 scholarship, and the District winner will be referred to the international scholarship and be eligible for an additional $4000 scholarship.   The application materials must be submitted to [email protected] by March 15.

​Special opportunity for 2019 to celebrate 100 years of Zonta service and Zonta International’s centennial anniversary

In honor of 100 years of Zonta service and Zonta International’s centennial anniversary in 2019, Zonta International has launched its Centennial Anniversary Grants program. These one-time grants of up to $5,000 each will recognize charitable organizations working to improve the lives of women and girls in their local communities.  More information, including eligibility, is at https://www.zonta.org/centennialgrants. 

 Zonta Club of Midland would like to partner with a local organization to support a project in our local community that meets at least one of the objectives of Zonta International - legal, political, economic, health, education, or violence against women.  If your organization has a project that you think meets the objectives of the Centennial Grants, please submit a paragraph describing the project to [email protected] by December 20, 2018.  The submitted projects will then be evaluated to progress further in the application and partnership process.